Parents get car seat safety lesson in Colchester

COLCHESTER — Only one out of every five child car seats in Connecticut is used properly, according to Safe Kids, which held a safety clinic Thursday in Colchester.

That was a big reason Safe Kids teamed up with the Chatham Health District, Consumer Reports, state police and The Safety Group to hold the free event in the parking lot at the Troop K barracks.

Technicians certified in how to install child seats were on hand to show parents and caregivers how to choose the right seats and make sure they are properly used. They also used a variety of dolls to simulate babies in the car seats.

“The best way to protect your kids is to put them in the right car seat for their age and size and use those seats correctly on every trip, every time,” Chatham Health District representative Nancy McAuliffe said.

Elizabeth Tiezzi, of Colchester, said that after a lesson that lasted about 15 minutes, she came away with useful information about her new car seat.

“I’m definitely going to show my husband how to do this the right way,” Tiezzi, who is expecting a child, said. “It was very helpful.”

Colchester has two certified car seat technicians, according to Esther Pendola, of The Safety Group, a team of nationally certified child passenger safety instructors based in Waterford.

“There were several people certified in Colchester a few years ago, but you have to be recertified every two years,” she said.

Several employees of Consumer Reports, which has a testing facility in Colchester, were on hand to become certified installers. They’ll use the knowledge to properly install car seats the company uses in its automobile crash tests, Pendola said.

According to state law, infants are required to ride in rear-facing car seats until they are a minimum of 1 year old and weigh 20 pounds. Also, law requires children to be in a booster seat until they reach a minimum of 60 pounds and they turn seven years old.